My fourth — and final — summer book recommendation is one that you’ll want to take to the beach or sit on the porch and read. You might also want to read it in one quick sitting to find out if Daniel Knight can find the childhood friend he’s been searching more than 70 years for.

Author Melanie Dobson’s novel, “Catching the Wind,” tells how Knight and Brigitte Berthold escaped the Gestapo agents who arrested both their parents. She describes their harrowing journey from Germany to England and then paints a picture of their heartbreaking separation when they were 13 and 10.

Throughout the years, Knight hires detective after detective, and none can find Berthold. Finally, he hires Quenby Vaughn, an American journalist working in London, to find his friend. Vaughn has a personal investment in a related WWII espionage story and is wrestling her own demons from her past — and she isn’t crazy about working with Knight’s attorney.

As with all good fiction, Dobson’s novel contains many truths. I had a chance to ask Dobson a few questions about those truths. Here are her responses.

Q: We live in a world where “friendship” is sometimes just a digital connection — an easy click of a button. Friendship is treated differently in your book. How can we build friendships to stand the test of time and hardship today?A: One of my main characters (Daniel Knight) made a promise to a friend 70 years ago, and he is trying desperately throughout “Catching the Wind” to be faithful in keeping it. As I wrote this book, I was challenged to invest even more in my own friendships. I think building solid friendships is done through a willingness to sacrifice ourselves as well as extend a tremendous amount of grace to one another. Daniel was gracious and kind to Brigitte even in the hardest of times, and he was willing to put aside what he wanted to rescue her.

Q: Even when we aren’t in times of war, we can feel overpowered and need to make difficult decisions. How can we do that better? And what can we do if we get it wrong?A: I love to tell the stories of ordinary people throughout history and today who do extraordinary things to help others. Risking our lives for someone else can come at a tremendous cost, and while the risking today may not be as extreme as during war, I think it is always extraordinary to sacrifice ourselves by giving our time, money, and resources to help someone else. When we feel overpowered, I believe the best way to make difficult decisions is by praying for wisdom and a peace that surpasses understanding. Even after prayer and trying to follow the wind of Spirit, we might think we made a wrong choice, but I believe that God works all things together for good for those who love and serve Him. What we perceive to be “wrong” might be exactly what He needed for us to do.

Q: If there is one thing that readers remember from this book, what do you hope that is?A: The power of sharing stories is a key element in this novel. I would love for readers to remember that God uses the courage and hope in both our stories and the stories of others to change lives.

— Marketta Gregory is a former religion reporter who can’t stop writing about what is sacred and holy. She is a native of Oklahoma but makes her home in Rochester, New York, with her husband, two crazy boys and one very vocal Pomeranian. Find more of her writing at SimplyFaithful.com or check out her book, “Simply Faithful: Finding the Sacred in Everyday Life.”